Maternity dress



H. E. RENO MATERNITY DRESS Feb. 22, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1946 INVENTOR. @mwm RIF/v0 H. E. RENOMATERNITY QRESS Feb. 22,1 49.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 15, 1946 Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE MATERNITY DRESS Hannah E. Reno, Grafton, Pa.

Application November 15, 1946, Serial No. 710,192

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-46) This invention relates generally to wearing appareland more particularly to an adjustably fitting garment such as amaternity dress.

This invention is an improvement of U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,261,662,for Maternity dress, issued November 4, 1941.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a one-piecedress, for wear during pregnancy, which is adjustable to maintain thefront of the dress uniformly straight regardless of the waistlinemeasurement.

Another object is the provision of a one-piece maternity dress that isadjustable to maintain the front hem at a uniform height.

Another object is the provision of a one-piece maternity dress arrangedto fit the figure and yet mask the person of the wearer.

' Another object is the provision of an adjustable one-piece maternitydress that may be designed to follow any vogue, pattern or style.

Another object is the provision of an adjustable one-piece maternitydress arranged to conceal the person of the wearer by suspending thefront of the skirt vertically from the waistline.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the followingdescription and claims.

A practical embodiment illustrating the principles of this invention isshown wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the dress comprising thisinvention but showing the skirt severed at the back and extendingoutwardly a the sides.

' Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the dress comprising this inventionshowing the side pleats open.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the dress comprising this invention witha bib-section secured under the waist front flaps which are altered fromthat shown in Fig. 1 and with the skirt pleats open.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the dress comprising this invention withthe bib secured over the waist and the dress fastened in its normalwearing position.

'Fig. 5- is a rear elevational view of the dress showing the skirtpleats tied in wearing position.

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the dress.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the dress partially expanded.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 showing the dress further expanded.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, l0 represents the waist ofthe one-piece dress which comprises a plane back ll illustrated as asingle piece of material and the front waist portions or flaps I 2 and13, which are secured to the back II along the shoulder seams l4 and I5and the underarm seams I6 and I1 and providing the right and left armopenings l8 and I 9 together with the neck opening 20. The waist 10 mayof course be designed to follow any mode in vogue and it may be providedwith full, half or quarter-length sleeves or other styles withoutvarying or otherwise changing the fundamental principles of thisinvention.

The front of the waist may be plain and closed or it may be cut withsurplus as indicated in Fig. 1 and provided with the adjustablebuttonholes 2! and 22 to receive the buttons 23. On the other hand thefront of the waist may be constructed in the form of an Eton such asillustrated by the front waist sections or flaps 24 and 25 in Fig. 3.Again the back ll of the waist may be made up of panels or any otherdesign but it is preferable that a design be chosen which is suitable tothe back of the wearer.

The skirt 26 is continuous, preferably being made with two pieces ofmaterial 21 and 28 sewed together along the extended underarm seams l6and I! from the waistline 29 to the bottom hem of the skirt. Although itis preferable to form the skirt with two pieces of material, the designof the dress may demand that the skirt be made up of more than twopieces sewed together to form a continuous skirt. As shown the rearportion 21 of the skirt extends between the underarm seams l6 and I land the front skirt portion 28 extends from the seam l6 rearwardlyacross the inner face 30 to the fold 3| of the right pleat and thenaround the front of the dress to the fold 32 of the left pleat andreturns across the inner face 33 of this pleat to the seam ll. The topof each of the pleats are sewed along the waistline of the skirt forapproximately three inches as indicated in Fig. 1 at 34 and 35respectively. The sewing of the top of the pleats in this manner insuresthe correct fold and hang of the pleat.

A bib 36 is preferably formed integral with the front section of theskirt 28 between the folds 3i and 32 of the right and left pleats and isarranged to extend upwardly over the bust of the wearer. The top of thebib is provided at its upper end with a neck or yoke opening 31,disposed between the bib shoulder sections '38 and 39. The sides of thebib section 36 are provided with arcuate marginal edges All and 4|extending from their respective bib shoulder sections 38 and 39 toadjacent the top of the skirt. A suitable fastening means such as snapsor button holes are placed on the bib as indicated at 42 and 43 adjacentshoulder sections 38 and 39 for securing the bib adjacent the shoulderof thewaist ID on which the counterpart of said fastening means areattached as indicated at 44 and 65. The fastening means may provide forincrement adjustment of the bib to the waist.

This bib section may extend up over the front of the waist and besecured to the outer side thereof as illustrated in Fig. 1 or 4 or itmay extend up under the front waist sections 24 and and secured toadjacent the shoulder thereof as illustrated in Fig. 3.

tend down the front of the waist to permit the bib 36 to be adjustablysecured to the waist at different positions relative to the top of theshoulders depending upon the waist measure of the wearer for the purposeof providing auni form hem length at thefront of the dress.

It; is also preferable to secure a fastening Ineanssuch as the ties tfiand 4'3 at the underarm seams lfi and l! where the underiaces and 33 o'f't'h'e skirtpleats, Or the sides of the rear skirt 21.j0inthe waist atwaistline 29 as indicated at the points 48 and 49 in Fig. 2. The tiemembers @Bjandflt'l may then be brought across the front of theperson ofthe wearer and tied for the purpose of drawing the back of the skirt 2?closely to the figure to make a neat and properly fitting garment at theback. The ties 45 and 41 are shown. to. bese'cured in Figs. 3 and 4.This permits the wearer to draw the rear skirt section in a'ffi ttin'grelation and the ties are concealed by the bib portion when the latteris secured adjacent the top of the waist.

The skirt is provided with the tie members 5 0.

and 5, the rear skirt section 27 snugly fits the.

person ofthe wearer and the ties 5B and 5t draw the arcuate marginaledges of the bib into fittin relation with the figure from the shouldersdown iii/front of the arms to the rear of the dress, and the frontsection 2 8: of the skirt hangs straight from the waistlinezil asillustrated in Fig. 6'thus providing an attractive and well-fittinggarment with a'uniformly even hem.

In Figs. 6 7 and 8 the dress is shown to be ad;- justed to figures ofdifferent girth measurements.

InFigQ 6, the dress is fitted to the normal waist-' line'of the wearercausing the folds 3| and 32 of ghepleats' to substantially meet in theback of'the ress as shown in Fig. 5.- However to illustrate thedifferent adjustments in these figures, the tie til is drawn rearwardly,and in Fig. 6, the fold 321 of the left pleat extends beyondthe rearofthe skirt 2! and the bib is attached to the uppermost fasteningmembers 45. In Fig. '7, the girth of the figure is increased and thenormal waistline is indicated by the dotted line 52. In order toproperly fitthe dressto the figure, it is then necessary to drop the topof the bib to the next consecutive fastening members 53 and the fold 32of the left pleat is in line with the rear skirt sec tion. 21 .in' orderto accommodate the increased The counterpart of the, fastening meansillustrated at M and may exgirth and prevent the front of the dress fromhiking upwardly out of'alignment with the back hem of the skirt.

In Fig. 8, the girth has been increased over that 5 of Fig. 7illustrating that it is necessary to empoy the next consecutivefastening means 54 for attaching the upper end of the bib to the waistand the fold 32 of the left pleat does not extend rearwardly as far asthe back of the skirt 21 yet the front hemhangs uniformly w iththegbalance of the skirt owing to the fact that the bib has permittedthe skirt to be lowered as the front waistline of the skirt 28 ispermitted to come forward but is maintained at the largest girth meas-15 urement. Thus the dress is capable of adjustment for difierent sizesof girth and at the same time will properlymask the figure.

I claim: l maternity dress consisting of a circumferentially continuouslower body covering skirt the back panel of said waist beitig atta theskirt back centrally .thereor, eansltg a ustably drawand retain.theback, portion of theskirtatthe waistline to, fit the-body, a bibattach d skirt ront betw h rmat orm and means to adjustablyretain the; b'underor overthe waistfiapsladiacent theshonlde waistto drop the.frontfportionof ski increase of girthand maintain an eve risk' hernt 2..A maternity'dres's. consisting at a ferentially continuous lower. bodycoveringiskirt loosely fitting the,body. andproyidedfwitli. calpleatsfolded totheback; a'j wa' t trally, thereof, ineans jto adiusretain the back portion-of. theiskir at the w t linelto fit the body, abib attaheti to front between. the'pleat 'forifiin Q having .n arginaledges fit front of the shoulders toth adjustably retain the bib-under oflapsadjacent the 's'houl r the ar-1it 1eit t! girth and maintain aneven sk e ps mean i e s d-i ham r ea e ge i e li liyi fl ear v hea e ueeline pleats to the back adjacent the waistline.

The following referencesare .of --r.eeordiin=.the. file of this patent:

Numbe Name :1 Date;- Re. 2&665 Mahoney Ang 1%; 194,5; ,931,210, ei wi. lsept shisiz 1 531 Wel .--.:-e-.- Ql Eq f1t: 9.14:;

"l". "3 71-.--:... FOREIGN meter To Number Cqugtpy Date 816102 France-.7:::-. ARE-Y

